Ormsbee, Lindell

Reliability Assessment and Optimization of Water Distribution Systems Considering Isolation Valve Locations.

Water distribution systems face numerous conditions that that could lead to a failure event, either from natural or man-made disruptions. Historically, the evaluation of the failure scenarios in water distribution systems has been performed assuming that it can be limited to a single element (e.g., a single pipe). This assumption neglects the role of the available and operable isolation valves in the network.

To better characterize the behavior of a water distribution network under failure this project will propose and test a reliability assessment by explicitly recognizing the isolation valve locations. Using the framework provided by the reliability assessment an optimization procedure to increase network reliability through better valve placement will be implemented.

The Supercomputer Facility will be used to assist with the extensive hydraulic and water quality analysis. In addition to the numerous network modifications and failure scenarios that would be required to determine and optimal isolation valve distribution.

Computational Methods
The assessment model will be developed using MATLAB using the EPANET and WNTR network solvers for the hydraulic and water quality simulations. MATLAB will also be used to build the optimization model and incorporate random failure scenarios.

Software

Network Hydraulic Solver and Water Quality Analysis: EPANET

Assessment and Optimization: MATLAB, PYHTON

Graph analysis and Additional Network Solver: WNTR (PYTHON)

PI

Lindell Ormsbee

Students

Erika Hernandez